PM: ECRL will further boost development of Pahang

KUALA LUMPUR: The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project will breathe new life and modernisation into Pahang, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said that once the ECRL was completed, a ride on it will be akin to riding a modern train in Switzerland.

“The ECRL project will go through areas such as Bentong, Temerloh, Marang, KotaSAS (Sultan Ahmad Shah), Kuantan Port City 1 and 2, and Cherating,” he said in his speech at Menara Felda here yesterday, during a high-tea function with Pahang-born residents living in the Klang Valley.

“We always try to implement projects which are rakyat-centric,” he said, citing projects such as the Central Spine Road and building more water treatment plants in Pahang.

Najib added that the projects planned for Pahang such as the Pahang Technology Park, MalaysiaChina Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP), and the Pekan Automotive Park will generate jobs for more than 64,000 people in Pahang.

More than 277,000 households will also benefit from the projects planned by the Government for the state, he said.

Najib said it showed that the Government places importance on the future of both the state and the country.

“We want to see that the future of our beloved state (Pahang) is secure,” he said.

He added that the World Bank’s recent revision of its forecast for Malaysia’s 2018 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth to 5.4%, from 5.2% previously, was proof that the country was on the right track to progress.

“Not only that, the World Bank also predicted that by 2022 Malaysia can be considered as an advanced high-economy country,” said the Prime Minister.

Najib’s speech was not without its light side, as he took a jibe at Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s age.

“Today I am almost 65 years old, not yet 93 years old,” he said.

The high-tea function was organised by Pahang-born residents organisation Gabungan Kelab-kelab Anak-anak Daerah-daerah Pahang and attended by more than 1,500 people.

Present as well at the function were the organisation’s chairman Datuk Dr Abd Halim Mohd Hussin and MyPPP president Tan Sri M. Kayveas.